Here’s an extraordinary love story you thought you’d only see in the movies.
This story is real. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it would inspire many romantic movies in the future.
Let’s go a few decades back. It was 1960; Brownton, Minnesota High School had a popular student named Dennis Vinar. He excelled in sports, and he was also good-looking. Many girls wanted to win his heart. But Dennis had already fallen in love.
Vinar’s heart already belonged to Karen Lehmann, a simple, shy, and talented clarinet player.
They were introduced to each other, and their whirlwind romance began.
The pair started dating and quickly went from strangers to lovers. By 1958, Lehmann and Vinar were officially a couple.
In 1960, their carefree relationship took a drastic turn when Lehmann found out she was pregnant. She was only 14 then, and they never planned the pregnancy, but the couple knew they had to face it.
When Lehmann told her parents about it, they sent her to a Lutheran Social Services home for girls who got pregnant out of wedlock.
Vinar couldn’t afford to see her every day, with her living farther away. He had school and sports to focus on, and the young athlete struggled to make time for her.
Lehmann gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on August 13, 1961.
She named her “Denise” because she looked so much like her dad with her blue eyes. She called Vinar to ask him if he wanted to hold his daughter and sign her birth certificate, and he readily said yes.
Lehmann’s father didn’t approve of their relationship. He thought Vinar would only get in the way of his daughter’s future
Lehmann’s dad stopped Vinar from seeing Karen and the baby. Vinar tried his best to convince Lehmann’s dad that he was willing to take good care of his girlfriend and child, but the old man didn’t want them to be together.
Soon, even their daughter was immediately put into adoption.
Their lives each took a different turn after the birth. Vinar joined the army while Lehmann pursued her college degree. The couple wanted to keep in touch, but Lehmann’s father kept intercepting their calls and letters.
Decades later, the two would find love in other people and build their own families. But fate found its way to reunite them.
A few years back, Vinar received an invite to the social media network LinkedIn.
He decided to sign up, and it came to him – why not search for the love of his life?
“I typed in ‘Karen Lehmann’ and there she was—the third person down,” said Vinar, all smiles. “And I smacked my hands together and said, ‘That’s my lady!’”
Another chapter opened for Lehmann and Vinar. We can call it a twist of faith, as Vinar found the woman he loved after 5 decades.
Vinar didn’t waste any time! He immediately called Lehmann the next day, and the two lovers were reunited.
Can you imagine being apart from each other for 5 decades and you meet again, still madly in love with each other?
They called each other three months straight. They talked and talked and finally, they decided to meet. Vinar had been long divorced, and Lehmann became a widower in 2014. They both knew that this was their opportunity to rekindle the love they lost all those years ago.
Lehmann and Vinar tied the knot in 2015.
Everything was almost perfect. There was just one thing they needed to do – find the daughter that they had to give up.
They got help from the adoption agency and found that Denise now goes by Jean Voxland. She was residing in Kenyon, Minnesota, where she lives with her husband and three children. Vinar and Lehmann wrote her a letter.
When Voxland came home from work one day, her husband, Andrew, told her about the letter. She was astonished. Who would think that 54 years later, after having no clue of her background, that her biological parents would appear out of nowhere?
Voxland responded to their letter with five pages of her own, alongside several photographs. She received a response almost instantly, and they continued to send mail back and forth. Soon, they all decided to meet.
In May 2015, Voxland found herself in her parents’ home.
Voxland was also overwhelmed when she noticed that she was the spitting image of her dad. They both had twinkling blue eyes.
Since then, Voxland, Lehmann, and Vinar have made up for all the missed birthdays, holidays, and everything else in between.
It’s incredible how Lehmann, Vinar, and their daughter reconnected after 55 years. Indeed, love conquers all!
The family wrote a book together called, “How Did You Find Me?” to share their amazing story.
Source:mypositiveoutlooks.com, ronproject.com
